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Korea to launch interagency task force to respond to U.S. 'sensitive country' designation

Published: 24 Mar. 2025, 17:25 Updated: 24 Mar. 2025, 17:32

SEO JI-EUN
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Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul responds to a lawmaker's questions during a plenary session of the diplomacy and unification committee at the National Assembly in Seoul on March 24. [LIM HYEON-DONG]

Korea will launch an interagency task force to respond to the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) designation of Korea as a "sensitive country," acting President Choi Sang-mok announced Monday, as the government strives to reverse the decision before it takes effect on April 15.

Choi said the task force would be led by relevant ministries and called for swift follow-up consultations with the United States after being briefed on Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun's visit to Washington last week, where he met with U.S. Energy Secretary Christ Wright.

During Ahn's meeting, Korea and the United States agreed to work together to "swiftly" resolve the issue, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

First Vice Industry Minister Park Sung-taek confirmed that the two countries have "begun working-level consultations."

However, Park acknowledged that the timeline for Korea’s removal from the list remains unclear.

"It is difficult to predict [when Korea can be out of the list before the effective date]," he said at a parliamentary hearing of the National Assembly’s diplomacy and unification committee on Monday afternoon.

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, who also attended the parliamentary hearing, reiterated that the DOE cited “technical security concerns” for Korea’s inclusion on its Sensitive and Other Designated Countries List.

Cho emphasized that the United States had not disclosed specific incidents and clarified that the decision was not due to a single event, such as the reported security breach at the Idaho National Laboratory.

“That case may serve as an example … but it’s not the sole reason,” Cho said. “We don’t believe this designation resulted from one or two isolated incidents or simple mistakes.”

Korean officials have repeatedly stated that the DOE placed Korea in the lowest of three tiers on the list, under the “Other Designated Countries” category, which differs from higher-tier classifications that deal with nonproliferation or counterterrorism concerns.

"According to the DOE, [the designation was] part of a measure prompted by the evolving landscape in emerging technologies and efforts to strengthen overall technical security," Cho explained.

He noted that the list had been managed internally within the DOE under strict confidentiality, with only a few officials in relevant departments aware of its existence.

"The DOE plans to conduct prescreening procedures, including identity checks, for individuals seeking access to any of its 17 affiliated laboratories," Cho said.

Despite the designation, Cho emphasized that the U.S. government has repeatedly assured Korea that there will be no new disruptions to the bilateral scientific and technological cooperation.

“We’ve confirmed a consistent message from the DOE, the State Department and the White House National Security Council that Korea-U. S. cooperation and partnership remain strong,” he said.

BY SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]